This Velvety Restaurant Style Indian Tikka Masala Sauce needs just 6 staple pantry ingredients. You will be surprised to learn that secret of your all-time favorite Indian Chicken Tikka Masala sauce was in these simple and easy to find ingredients and a 15 minutes recipe.
So ditch the delivery and serve an easy homemade Indian Authentic Tikka Masala Dinner even on weekdays!!
Sounds delicious? Isn't it?
Oh, and not just Chicken Tikka Masala dinner... I use this sauce a lot more ways! Tikka Masala Pasta, Tofu Tikka Masala and Rice, and even Tikka Masala Casserole to name a few! yumm!
Growing up, Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala had always been big part of our Sunday family dinner. My mom makes world's best tasting Chicken Tikka Masala. And it's been always in-demand among our family and friends. After marriage, I always have tried to bring her cooking magic to every plate of food I cook and serve. But, to suit my busy lifestyle and needs........ I have updated many of her classic traditional recipes. This 6 ingredients Tikka Masala is perfect example of that!
Overtime, this Tikka Masala sauce has become our family and friends favorite in most Indian-style Dinners! A evolution of classic, this recipe came into being on a very busy day and under a very short notice!!
I had few guests coming over and all they wanted to eat is Indian Curries. All food was ready when Vishal came to know... one of our guest is vegetarian. I just had some salad and rice as veggie options.
So quest was to make Indian Vegetarian Curry and time in hand was just 15 minutes.
Thing is, a good quality traditional marinara like Ragu Traditional Pasta Sauce, or Rao's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce have lots of flavor of slow simmered Tikka Masala sauce. So I simmered Ragu Traditional Pasta Sauce with Indian garam masala, butter, and some seasonings!
Viola! A velvety, buttery, fragrant Tikka Masala Sauce was ready with that signature deep orange color and amazingly Restaurant Quality flavor....... and I was ready to host a prefect dinner party!
My guests kept asking for recipe and I promised them to share on blog. Soon after I publish this post, I'm going to send'em this link. :) This sauce has become like my new modern family tradition. Everyone who tastes it wants to get the recipe.
Secret to making this easy version of Tikka Masala sauce is all in a good quality Marinara Pasta Sauce.
Remember, your Pasta Sauce is main flavor-base for the Tikka Masala sauce. So choose a good quality and smooth marinara sauce such as Ragu Traditional and then serve a delicious Indian Dinner under 20 minutes!
Today, my age-old family recipe is updated and calls for an Italian Pasta Sauce! I hope you will enjoy a taste of my heritage with this "updated classic".
Easy Indian Tikka Masala Sauce
Total Time: Prep Time: Cook Time:
Cuisine: Indian Category: Curry, Sauce Difficulty: Easy
Yields: 3-4 Cups Serves: 4
Notes:No. of servings depends on serving size. SEE PRINTABLE RECIPE
Ingredients
Tikka Masala Sauce
3 Cup Marinara Sauce (Smooth Pasta Sauce such as Ragu Tradtional)
1.5 tsp Garam Masala
1.5 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (or Paprika, add more if like heat)
1 tsp Honey
1 Garlic (clove, grated, optional if using garlic marinara sauce)
1/4 tsp Salt (adjust per taste)
Directions
1.Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy bottom deep pan. Add garam masala and cook until fragrant. (about 30 secs)
2.Add cayenne (or Indian Red Chili Pepper), grated garlic, honey, and marinara sauce with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to boil and simmer for 6-7 minute on medium-low heat.
3.Add heavy cream and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Heat the sauce for 1 minute while mixing the ingredients. I usually start with 1/4 cup of cream and then taste and adjust with few tablespoons more. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from heat.
4.Tikka Masala Sauce is ready!! Serve plain with rice. Or mix with your favorite protein and serve with traditional Indian Naan. Enjoy!
Savita's Recipe Notes:
Marinara Sauce will already have salt. So add salt only at the end after tasting. You can add more honey at that point if like more sweet.
Tip: For more flavor, slice half of a medium white onion into half moon slices and sauté with butter and garam masala until onions are soft, then proceed to Step -2 as described in the Recipe Card.
Homemade Garam Masala: Fresh ground (preferably homemade) garam masala will give even more distinct spice flavor to Tikka Masala Sauce. Try my Garam Masala recipe to make masala at home.
Toasted spices bloom in sauce. So flavors keep improving as sauce sits. For the record, the leftovers of all curries are more flavorful the next day. This makes recipe perfect to make ahead.
Normally heavy cream is used in tikka masala, but coconut milk is the perfect substitute and I actually like it here better than cream. Yum. For you do-aheaders, you can make the masala sauce the night before and then cook the chicken right before dinner, heat up the sauce and you're done!
To summarise, Indian chicken tikka masala has fresh flavors due to the use of fresh tomatoes. It's creamy, rich and delicious and won't make you feel bloated as there is a very small amount of cream used. Cashews impart a magical creamy texture and flavour without making you feel heavy.
Tikka refers to grilled or roasted pieces of meat that are either marinated in yogurt or spiced water before being cooked on skewers. Masala refers to a sauce made with cream, yogurt, or tomatoes; or a mixture of spices used to flavor food.
Adding tomato puree is probably the most common method of thickening curry sauces. Simply add the tomato puree during the cooking process rather than adding it at the end. This will help to thicken your curry or pasta sauce from the beginning, speeding up the cooking time.
I use coconut milk or cream - some of them are sweet, some just "coconutty". If I have the latter I mix one or two spoons of brown sugar in it before adding everything to the dish. Spices - becasue I really like coriander and turmeric I make my own curry mix.
If too much liquid or broth is added to a curry, it will become runny and thin. It may also be thin if the cooking temperature is too low for it to cook, or if the cooking time is too short, thereby preventing the sauce from being reduced.
It is thicker, has a higher fat content and is scoop-able throughout. Coconut milk and cream are mostly interchangeable in recipes such as curries and soups. If you prefer a richer flavour and texture, try coconut cream or vice versa. However, be careful when substituting coconut milk and cream in baked goods.
But like many Indian dishes that were originally low fat, the modern recipe for chicken tikka masala is anything but. An average portion has whopping 1,249 calories and 90.8 grams of fat. A lot of that comes from the ghee and heavy cream.
While many people assume that this dish originated in India, the most popular origin story places its roots in Scotland when a Bengali chef had to improvise in a jiffy. Today, many consider it to be the national dish of the UK.
Your curry can taste bitter if the spices and garlic are burnt or if you've added too much fenugreek to the dish. You see, the secret to cooking a delicious curry recipe is to create a spicy paste and slowly cook it before adding your meat.
As we've mentioned, some Indian dishes use a cream-based curry sauce. Usually using a cream is combined with other thickening and flavour-adding ingredients, such as carmelized onions blended into a paste (or simply minced and clarified).
Taste. Butter Chicken has a milder and creamier taste, while Tikka Masala has a spicier, earthy, and tangier taste. Butter Chicken is a buttery and creamy tomato-based sauce. At the same time, Tikka Masala has a slightly sour and tangy tomato-based sauce.
Chicken Tikka Masala has many health benefits. The primary source of protein in Chicken Tikka Masala is chicken. It also helps control blood pressure and weight loss and reduces harmful cholesterol levels. In addition, the body uses protein to repair and fix tissues and grow hair and nails.
Chicken Tikka Masala is a flavorful and aromatic curry dish that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of marinated and grilled chicken pieces, known as "tikka," simmered in a creamy tomato-based sauce infused with a blend of traditional Indian spices.
What Does It Taste Like? Garam masala adds warmth, sweetness, floral notes, and a touch of heat from the black pepper. It is intended to be a fragrant spice as well as flavorful. While cumin, coriander, and turmeric may remind you of curry, garam masala is generally not firey hot.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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